Core strengthening key to nonsurgical back pain relief

Top spine surgeons often advocate for nonsurgical approaches to treating chronic back pain. To determine feasibility, Hackensack University Medical Center’s team of physiatrists, pain management physicians and neurosurgeons collaborate to evaluate patient pain to determine whether nonsurgical therapies may be effective. Where appropriate, a spinal care treatment plan that emphasizes core strengthening is prescribed. The core treatment approach emphasizes embodied cognition (the mind-body connection).

Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) neurosurgeon and Department Chairman Dr. Patrick Roth advocates for naturalistic solutions to spinal problems (particularly core strengthening) when appropriate. His book, The End of Back Pain, is provided to patients as a guide to the embodied cognition and core strengthening treatment approach.

Nonsurgical approaches to treating back pain at HUMC also include:

• Physical therapy and other exercises
• Steroid injections (such as cortisone) to reduce inflammation
• Lumbar ablation, using radiofrequency energy directed at the nerve(s) causing pain
• Nerve blocks to target nerves causing discomfort
• Hydrotherapy